There are few place on earth where tradition means more than in Italy. It guides daily life here at least as much as it appeals to those of us who are not from here. You see it the food, in the festivals, in the architecture and in the unwritten rules people follow. Every so often we come across a property that respects tradition, a property that is unmistakably Italian, unmistakably Marchigiana. We’ve just seen one that’s the quintessential traditional villa. So, in staying with our tradition of naming properties for that special something they deliver, we present to you Villa Tradizionale – the “traditional villa”.
Villa Tradizionale is all about tradition. It starts with the look of the villa, continues with its location and manifests itself in many, many details.
You arrive at Villa Tradizionale via a white road connected to a paved provincial one. It seems fitting, traditional even, to arrive at this supremely private plot via such a road. You round the bend and see the main house as well as the traditional accompaniments including olive and fruit trees, majestic secular oak trees and the archway that seamlessly transitions you from the parking area to the house and south-facing garden. The views – including the Adriatic Sea to the east, endless rolling hills all around and the Sibillini Mountains to the west – are spectacular.
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The 245 sqm. main house is tradition personified. Its shape strikes you as being very traditional as it has 3 sections that give the building architectural interest. A breezeway connects the house to its 87 sqm. one-bedroom cottage. The complex is completed by a garage/accessory building of 52 sqm. This notion of a “complex” of buildings creating an integrated “whole” is perfectly executed at Villa Tradizionale.. The old brick exterior of the buildings is just the start for understanding how sympathetic and authentic a restoration Villa Tradizionale is.
Let’s head inside at Villa Tradizionale. The main house is very traditional in its style. Old beams with pianella tiles dress the ceilings. Below are authentic terracotta floor tiles, the real ones, with that patina that immediately differentiates them from cheaper alternatives. There are hardwood doors throughout. The authentic, old, gnarly lintels do their part to contribute to the traditional look. There is traditionally crafted built-in cabinetry throughout, done by a local carpenter using chestnut and other prized woods. Walking through the villa there is no mistaking that you’re in a traditional Italian home.
You enter the main house via the breezeway. To the right is a WC and a separate utility room with a Bosch freezer and a Bosch fridge, as well as a utility sink and the main house boiler. Moving from those utility spaces, you enter the super-traditional kitchen via an archway. Lots of kitchens think they’re traditional, but they could learn a thing or two about tradition from the kitchen at Villa Tradizionale! It’s big, just like in the old days. You can fit a big table here and enjoy lots of traditional fare with family and friends. There’s a proper oven and cooktop from by the tradition-conscious Germania brand that’s been outfitting traditional Italian kitchens since 1882. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a fully-integrated (and ventilated) open wood-fired grill in the kitchen – ideal for roasting meats and vegetables according to the traditional “alle brace” cooking method! The kitchen also boasts a very useful larder/pantry and easy access via an arched door to the outdoor terrace where you’ll be dining 7+ months during the year. The kitchen, of course, has the usual appliances you’d expect – fridge, dishwasher, etc.
When dining indoors, it’s no surprise that Villa Tradizionale has a traditional dining room! It forms a very sociable “L” shape with the intimate lounge with fireplace. These spaces, too, are connected by a brick archway. Note that the dining room is quite big and is accented by 3 windows.
Heading upstairs at Villa Tradizionale there’s a sizable master suite with its own bathroom and built-in wardrobes. The corridor on the first floor also has very useful built-in cabinetry. There’s a sizable guest bedroom. And, finally, there’s a smallish single bedroom (also potentially used as an office, gym or other multi-use space). These two guest bedrooms share a family bathroom. Note that here, too, the floors are traditional and the same beamed ceilings are present. Just up from this floor is a big attic space in which even a tall person can maneuver standing straight up.
Back downstairs, we exit the main house into the breezeway. This is a very useful transitional and utility space where youll find a garden sink, big laundry/utility room with cottage boiler and main house 750 liter water tank to ensure no one at the house misses out on a good shower! The owners have placed gym equipment in this space as well as a workbench with tools. Also from this breezeway we access the cottage, so the house and cottage become private entities from this spot.
The cottage at Villa Tradizionale is excellent. It’s that sort of added value that opens up a range of possibilities. The cottage, too, is done in a traditional style – sloped ceilings with beams and pianella tiles, cotto floor tiles, etc. It’s all on one floor – people LOVE single-floor living. There’s a big lounge with a fireplace and wide, multi glass panel arched door that exits to a private terrace space for the cottage. There’s a pergola just outside the door with grapevines and rose bushes, as well as great views. Back inside, there’s a very traditional kitchen, a big bedroom and a well-equipped bathroom. The cottage has air conditioning.
Villa Tradizionale is ideal as a year-round residence. It’s perfect as a family holiday home and would be a great whole-house short-stay rental property. The presence of the cottage means that Villa Tradizionale is ideal, also, as a property where you can run a hospitality business – either live in the main house and rent the cottage, or, live in the cottage during the high season and rent the house as short-stay or B&B style rentals.
Some practical considerations at Villa Tradizionale are these – the house and cottage are on electrical and water mains, with separate gas heat and hot water systems. The main house has underfloor heating while the cottage has radiators. Gas is supplied via an in-ground tank. The windows and doors are good quality double glazed, with insect screens. High speed internet is connected at the Villa. Waste water exits via a certified septic system. All told, between house and cottage there are 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.
Moving back outside at Villa Tradizionale we direct your attention to the spectacular views, grounds, terrace and pool area.
Everyone’s idea of the ideal traditional villa is replete with big views. Finding those views is an entirely different story. The views at he views at Villa Tradizionale are spectacular. To one side you can actually see the Adriatic Sea. To the other are the Sibillini Mountains, including mountains that go all the way down to Abruzzo. In between the big views are the soothing views – rolling hills, sunflower fields, hill-top towns – at least 15 of them! Close-by you see the vineyards of traditional (and award winning) local winemakers, Saputi. These views are best-in-class and hard to find.
Given its south-facing orientation Villa Tradizionale enjoys early sun and the dramatic colors for which Central Marche sunsets are known. This means that no matter where you happen to be on the plot, you’ll have full sun. This makes the ample south-facing terrace particularly appealing. It’s a big oval shaped seating area paved with old tiles and extended with garden grade gravel. It’s the perfect outdoor dining area and is unsurpassed as a quiet, peaceful space for relaxing. While we all love Italian summer sun, increasingly we’re coming to love the shade, too! At Villa Tradizionale there’s plenty of that, given the cooling plantings and shade trees that dot the plot.
Uniquely at Villa Tradizionale the pool sits back of the house in a slightly elevated position. You see it as you enter the plot. This is a smart location as when the pool is covered in the offseason, you’re not looking at a pool cover when you look out from the house or the terrace. In-season, the views from the pool are enriched by the villa in the foreground and the big views just beyond. The pool, which has steps for entering, is a modest one, kidney-shaped and simple. But, it does exactly what it needs to do during hot summer months – it cools you off and gives you yet another spot on the plot to enjoy some sun, some relaxation and a drink or a light meal. Note, too, that adjacent to the pool is a purpose-built Jacuzzi-style hot tub that needs recommissioning.
The plot at Villa Tradizionale is around 4,910 sqm., but it feels much bigger. A very important feature of the plot is that it is entirely fenced! This is a feature many clients really want (and an expense many want to avoid when there isn’t one!). This is ideal for dog lovers and for families with small children. Everyone roams free on the plot, but no one can wander from it. There are several majestic secular oak trees on the plot, some confirmed to be over 300 years-old. There are 20+ olive trees as well as pomegranates, hazelnuts, figs, persimmons, quince, plums, pears, mulberry trees and even palm trees! The owner has documented over 20 species of birds and birds of prey seen from the plot.
Also of note at Villa Tradizionale is the 52 sqm. outbuilding/garage. It’s just the sort of storage space everyone needs. It is place just beyond the ample parking area, connected to the garden area by the aforementioned archway.
The villa’s “hometown” is the medieval town of San Ginesio, a traditional hill-town with amazing panoramic views, park spaces, a weekly market and an award winning gelato maker at the Bar Centrale. The town also has tennis and paddle courts. Villa Tradizionale is under 10 minutes to the piazza.
The villa is close to EVERYTHING. It’s 5 minutes from the piazza of Ripe San Ginesio by car – a gem of a medieval village with a progressive mayor who believes in the traditions of culture, music and food & wine and his town puts on quite a show around all those themes. Villa Tradizionale is around 15 minutes to the SS77 Superstrada – so you (and your guests and friends) can reach the house quickly from at least 3 different airports – Ancona, Perugia and Pescara, as well as Rome and Bologna. You’re at the beach in 35 minutes and you can be in Umbria in 55. Head to the mountains of the Sibillini National Park in 25 minutes – a center of trekking, cycling, walking, hang-gliding and simple relaxing. There’s a close-by network of eBike itineraries that connect a network of hill-towns and passes by the entry road to the villa. Close-by hill-towns include Colmurano, Urbisaglia, Loro Piceno, Sant’Angelo in Pontano and others. The cities of Tolentino and Macerata are within 15-25 minutes of the house. There are vineyards, local food producers, lots of local festivals and dozens of great places to eat…all close to Villa Tradizionale. This proximity to so many things, traditional and otherwise, makes the villa one of the best positioned on the market today.
So, it’s time time to start your own unforgettable traditions, and we’ve got just the place to do it, Villa Tradizionale!
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